Pinot Noir Technique

NOTE: My winemaking process is influenced by the vintage and fruit quality.

The fruit is hand-picked into small quarter tonne crates to ensure minimal bruising with meticulous hand sorting to remove any diseased or unripe fruit. It’s then fermented in small open top fermenters with one-third whole bunch and two-thirds whole berry.

The must/fruit is chilled to 12 degrees to enable a 5-day cold soak to occur then left to commence spontaneous fermentation with the natural vineyard yeasts. The ferment is lightly peiaged (foot stomped) and hand plunged daily, spending (on average) three weeks on skins.

The finished wine is pressed straight to French puncheons and barriques (15% new for Appellation and 25% new for Single vineyard) and kept on lees until bottling.

The wine is allowed to go through natural MLF in its own time and spent a total of 10 months in oak for Appellation and 12 months for Single Vineyard. Single vineyard wines are also transferred to stainless with lees for further aging in stainless steel before being bottled via gravity, unfined and unfiltered.

WARNINGUnder the Liquor Control Reform Act1988 it is an offence:To supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 years (Penalty exceeds $17,000)For a person under the age of 18 years to purchase or receive liquor. (Penalty exceeds $700)